Hey guys! Today I am sharing with you what I ended up reading in February. I did end up reading some of the books on my TBR. I did read a couple that weren’t on my TBR and I feel that has been happening lately. I haven’t been sticking to my TBR 100% which is totally fine. I like switching things up and if something sounds interesting to me and I want to pick it up right away why not. So let’s dive in to see what I ended up reading in February!
Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) by Julie Kagawa
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 432 pages
Publication Date: June 18th 2019
Publisher: Inkyard Press
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: One thousand years ago, a wish was made to the Harbinger of Change and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. It had one task: to seal away the powerful demon Hakaimono.
Now he has broken free.
Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: to take her piece of the ancient and powerful scroll to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the Harbinger of Change, the great Kami Dragon who will grant one wish to whomever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. But she has a new enemy now. The demon Hakaimono, who for centuries was trapped in a cursed sword, has escaped and possessed the boy she thought would protect her, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan.
Hakaimono has done the unthinkable and joined forces with the Master of Demons in order to break the curse of the sword and set himself free. To overthrow the empire and cover the land in darkness, they need one thing: the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross once again, the entire empire will be thrown into chaos.
My Thoughts: So this is the second book in the series. I did forget majority of what happened in the first book but I feel it gives you a recap so things came back to me in the beginning. I have to say I overall enjoyed this as more as I thought I would. This time around I read it instead of listening and that made a huge difference. I was hoping for some different outcomes. However the ending did surprise me. I will be picking up the third book to see how this series ends.
This was a buddy read with Shirley @Shirley Cuypers.
You Are Not Alone By Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
Pages: 343 pages
Publication Date: March 3rd 2020
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Plot: You probably know someone like Shay Miller.
She wants to find love, but it eludes her.
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end.
She wants to belong, but her life is so isolated.
You probably don’t know anyone like the Moore sisters.
They have an unbreakable circle of friends.
They live the most glamorous life.
They always get what they desire.
Shay thinks she wants their life.
But what they really want is hers.
My Thoughts: Greer and Sarah end up making me fall in love with one of their stories once again! I was hooked from this story from the very beginning. I never wanted to put it down. I was constantly wondering what was going to happen. I also really wish I knew Shay so I could tell her what was going on. I basically felt like a fly on the wall this entire time and was so sad I couldn’t do anything. Honestly this was such a great read and it really ended up surprising me.
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 352 pages
Publication Date: September 18th 2018
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.
Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems–and his protection comes at a price.
Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?
My Thoughts: So I ended up picking up Warcross in December because of this Try a Chapter thing I was doing. So after I read that I knew I had to pick up the sequel to it. I really wanted to know what ended up happening next. Honestly I don’t know if maybe the reviews got to me or what but I found myself not as invested in this story. I really didn’t care majority of the time. I also was listening to this so that might be part of it. I just found myself zoning out a lot. I just felt the first one was so much more exciting and this one wasn’t. It didn’t capture my attention. It’s a shame because I was looking forward to this after finishing the first one but didn’t do it for me.
Geekerella By Ashley PostonGenre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Retelling, Fiction
Pages: 320 pages
Publication Date: April 4th 2017
Publisher: Quirk Books
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale.
Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.
Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.
My Thoughts: So this book wasn’t something I had planned to read. It was on my mental TBR but never on my physical TBR. I asked people for recommendations of some fluffy contemporaries. This was one of the one of the recommendations. I actually ended up enjoying it so much. I love how it’s a Cinderella retelling mixed in with like pop culture from today. It was such a precious story and it really warmed my heart. I enjoyed Elle’s character a lot. I loved how into her fandom she was. I felt so bad she had to live with her stepmom and stepsisters. It really did break my heart reading the things she went through. Overall so happy with how things ended up turning out. It ended up being such a cute story. If you’re into retellings, I recommend.
The Other People By C.J. Tudor
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Horror
Pages: 327 pages
Publication Date: January 28th 2020
Publisher: Ballantine Books
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: A gripping new thriller about a man’s quest for the daughter no one else believes is still alive, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place.
Driving home one night, stuck behind a rusty old car, Gabe sees a little girl’s face appear in the rear window. She mouths one word: ‘Daddy.’ It’s his five-year-old daughter, Izzy.
He never sees her again.
Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe that Izzy is dead.
Fran and her daughter, Alice, also put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter.
Then, the car that Gabe saw driving away that night is found, in a lake, with a body inside and Gabe is forced to confront events, not just from the night his daughter disappeared, but from far deeper in his past.
His search leads him to a group called The Other People.
If you have lost a loved one, The Other People want to help. Because they know what loss is like. They know what pain is like. They know what death is like.
There’s just one problem . . . they want other people to know it too.
My Thoughts: I was so excited to hear that Lala @BooksandLala had picked this for her new book club, Literally Dead Book Club. This book had me all over the place. I was trying to figure out how everything connected while also trying to remember everything I learned. I feel I should have kept notes when reading this. I was just all over the place with theories. One by one things slowly begin to make sense. However there was something in the story that we don’t really get explained and I wanted more detail on that. It felt unnecessary since you don’t find out more about it. Overall I did enjoy it. I felt like I was confused majority of the time. I did figure out one part which I felt was a bit too obvious but besides that I was confused as hell and wasn’t sure what was going on.
Have you guys read any of these books? If so what did you think?
What books did you guys end up reading January? I would love to hear from you!
Bookish In Bed
Bookish In Bed 